April 2014 Pagham Neighbourhood Plan 2014 – 2029 Submission Plan Published by Pagham Parish Council for Consultation under the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012. 2 Pagham Neighbourhood Plan - Submission Plan, April 2014 Contents Foreword List of Policies & Proposals 1. Introduction 2. State of the Parish 3. Vision & Objectives 4. Land Use Policies 5. Implementation 6. Proposals Maps Annex A – Evidence Base 2 3 Pagham Neighbourhood Plan - Submission Plan, April 2014 Foreword Chair of Pagham Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group Pagham is a medium sized village to the South of Chichester and West of Bognor Regis. It is bounded by the internationally famous Pagham Harbour to the west, prime agricultural land to the north and west, Bognor Regis to the east and the sea to the south. Pagham has been in its time one of the biggest ports on the south coast but is now mostly famous for its harbour and the wide variety birdlife that are present throughout the year. The harbour brings its own problems in developing a Neighbourhood Plan as very severe restrictions are placed upon development in the whole of Pagham due to the constraints of it being a SSSI (site of Special Scientific Interest), a RAMSAR (Internationally famous wetland) site, SPA (Special Protection Area and having an MCZ (Marine Conservation Zone) imposed upon it. These apply not only to the harbour but in the majority also to the southern coast of Pagham as far as the border with Aldwick. Pagham now has a thriving retirement community with approximately 38% of residents being over the age of 65 and only 60% of the national average of children under 16. These figures have changed little in the past few years and are not expected to change dramatically in the future. Consequently services and housing have developed to support this demographic profile with a preponderance of bungalows, little affordable housing and a very small housing waiting list (12 properties required). Pagham has little land available for development within the current built up area boundary, so in order to meet the demands of increased housing, the built up area boundary is proposed to be extended sufficiently to meet the requirements of extra housing – but no more than that. Due to the constraints of available development land and the relatively low requirement for new dwellings over the next 15 years, it has been an unenviable task to produce a way forward that meets the demands of central government whilst not materially changing the nature of Pagham. To this must be added the requirement for compensation to Pagham in terms of increased usable open space and support against the sea’s incursions and inland flooding. In developing our thinking for this approach we have consulted the village through open days, surveys, focus groups and developer meetings. These we believe have given us a broad understanding of the desires of the residents. This has been backed by research into demographics, careful examination of Arun’s existing Local Plan and a close review of the new draft Local Plan. 3 4 Pagham Neighbourhood Plan - Submission Plan, April 2014 Foreword continued This plan has taken a lot of hard (and unpaid I may add) work to get to this stage. Upwards of 30 people have been significantly involved during this process guided by a dedicated and loyal Steering Group who have given up days, evenings and weekends to keep this process developing against some difficult issues. The team has been ably supported by consultants from AIRS and RCOH without whose professional expertise this plan could not have been developed. Mention must also be made of the grants we have received from government in order to support us. We have received a £20,000 Front Runner grant from central government and a supplementary grant of £7,000 from the Community Development Foundation. We look forward to receiving your views on our plan and hope that you will give us your support in driving this forward to become the blueprint for Pagham over the next 15 years. 4 5 Pagham Neighbourhood Plan - Submission Plan, April 2014n List of Policies & Proposals Land Use Policies 1 A Spatial Plan for the Parish 2 Housing Site Allocations 3 Land at Osborne Refrigeration, Sefter Road 4 Housing Design 5 Open Spaces 6 Employment & Enterprise 7 Local Shops 8 Tourism Development 9 Education 10 Agricultural Land Non Statutory Proposals 1 Coastal Protection 2 Inland Flood Protection 3 Promoting Local Shops 4 Assets of Community Value 5 Sustainable Transport 6 Infrastructure Projects 5 6 Pagham Neighbourhood Plan - Submission Plan, April 2014 1 Introduction Purpose 1.1 Arun District Council (ADC), the local planning authority, has designated a Neighbourhood Area for the whole of Pagham parish for the purpose of Pagham Parish Council, the qualifying body, preparing the Pagham Neighbourhood Plan (PNP). The designation was approved by ADC on 10 December 2012. Plan A: The Designated Pagham Neighbourhood Area 1.2 The plan (A) above shows the parish boundary in relation to the adjoining parishes in Arun District – Aldwick and Bersted – and in Chichester District the parishes of Selsey, Sidlesham and North Mundham. 6 7 Pagham Neighbourhood Plan - Submission Plan, April 2014 1 Introduction Purpose - continued 1.3 The Pagham Neighbourhood Plan is being prepared in accordance with the Neighbourhood Planning Regulations 2012, the Localism Act 2011, the Planning & Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the European Directive 2001/42 on Strategic Environmental Assessment and the EU Directive 92/43 on Habitats Regulations Assessment. 1.4 The purpose of this plan is to set out specific policy proposals for the parish and to consult statutory stakeholders and the local community. Neighbourhood Development Plans 1.5 The PNP is amongst the first Neighbourhood Development Plans prepared in England since the 2011 Localism Act. The National Planning Policy Framework states: “The application of the presumption (in favour of sustainable development) will have implications for how communities engage in neighbourhood planning. Critically, it will mean that neighbourhoods should: • develop plans that support the strategic development needs set out in Local Plans, including policies for housing and economic development; • plan positively to support local development, shaping and directing developments that are consistent with their neighbourhood plan to proceed” (para.16). “Neighbourhood planning gives communities direct power to develop a shared vision for their neighbourhood and deliver the sustainable development they need. Towns … can use neighbourhood planning to set planning policies through neighbourhood plans to determine decisions on planning applications …“ (para.183). “Neighbourhood planning provides a powerful set of tools for local people to ensure that they get the right types of development for their community. The ambition of the neighbourhood should be aligned with the strategic needs and priorities of the wider local area. Neighbourhood plans must be in general conformity with the strategic policies of the Local Plan. To facilitate this, local planning authorities should set out clearly their strategic policies for the area and ensure that an up-to-date Local Plan is in place as quickly as possible. Neighbourhood plans should reflect these policies and neighbourhoods should plan positively to support them. Neighbourhood plans and orders should not promote less development than set out in the Local Plan or undermine its strategic policies” (para.184). “Outside these strategic elements, neighbourhood plans will be able to shape and direct sustainable development in their area. Once a neighbourhood plan has demonstrated its general conformity with the strategic policies of the Local Plan and is brought into force, the policies it contains take precedence over existing non-strategic policies in the Local Plan for that neighbourhood, where they are in conflict. Local planning authorities should avoid duplicating planning processes for non-strategic policies where a neighbourhood plan is in preparation” (para.185). 7 8 Pagham Neighbourhood Plan - Submission Plan, April 2014 1 Introduction Strategic Environmental Assessment & Habitats Regulations Assessment 1.6 The local planning authority, ADC, requires the PNP to be subject to a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) under the EU Directive 2001/42 and a Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) under EU Directive 92/43. The first requires that the environmental effects of the PNP policies and proposals are assessed against a series of environment objectives during their formulation. The second requires an assessment of any likely significant effects on sites designated under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010. 1.7 The SEA process therefore runs in parallel with the preparation of the PNP, beginning with a Scoping Report to set out the proposed environmental objectives and evidence base on which the PNP and SEA will be based. This report – the Pagham State of the Parish Report – was published for consultation with the statutory authorities in June 2013. 1.8 A Draft SEA report accompanied the Pre-Submission Plan for consultation and a final report accompanies the Submission Plan. Showing how the plan “contributes to the achievement of sustainable development” is one of the ‘basic conditions’ of the 1990 Act and therefore a requirement of the PNP. 1.9 The PNP will help to achieve sustainable development by ensuring that its development policies and proposals will meet the needs of people living and working in the parish, while at the same time helping to ensure that any adverse environmental impact is minimised. The ongoing consideration of the sustainability objectives of the plan will enable alternative options for those policies and proposals to be compared and evaluated. 1.10 The Habitats Regulations Assessment for the Arun Local Plan of March 2013 identified the Pagham Harbour Special Protection Area and Ramsar site as a designated site for assessment. It is concluded that sufficient avoidance and mitigation measures are incorporated into the Local Plan as policy provisions, in order to avoid impacts on the SPA/Ramsar site due to disturbance resulting from residential development.